While acetanilide and thiocarbamate herbicides are very useful for controlling certain weeds, many of the acetanilide and thiocarbamate herbicides also injure crop plants, as for example, sorghum, slowing growth and development of the crop plant at application rates necessary to stunt or kill the weeds. Obviously, a safening agent consisting of a composition that could be used to treat the seed of the crop plant, the crop plant locus or the crop plant itself, resulting in a reduction of injury to the crop plant due to application of the herbicide without a corresponding reduction of herbicidal action on the weed, would be quite beneficial.